Spain’s hotel industry has turned up the heat on the Interior Ministry after yet another weekend of hour-long passport queues at Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat and Málaga-Costa del Sol airports. In a statement issued late on 12 January, the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT) warned that the delays are becoming ‘structural’ and risk tarnishing the country’s reputation as Europe’s most-visited destination.
CEHAT president Jorge Marichal said international arrivals—especially from the UK, Spain’s single largest tourism market since Brexit—regularly face waits of 45–90 minutes at automated e-gates and police desks. The trade body blames a shortage of Policía Nacional officers, patchy deployment of the new biometric Entry/Exit System and inconsistent contingency planning during peak arrival ‘waves’.
The association has formally urged the government to deploy extra officers ahead of Easter, accelerate full EES installation and publish real-time queue data so airports can adjust staffing dynamically. CEHAT also wants airport operator AENA to open additional manual booths when e-gates fail and to expand dedicated lanes for families and passengers with reduced mobility.
![Hotel Confederation Demands Urgent Fix for Hour-Long Passport Queues at Spanish Airports]()
Travellers looking to stay ahead of any rule changes can simplify the paperwork side of their journey by consulting VisaHQ. The platform provides up-to-date guidance on Spain’s visa policies, passport validity rules and the forthcoming biometric Entry/Exit System, with easy online applications and dedicated support for individuals or corporate groups: https://www.visahq.com/spain/.
Long queues are more than an inconvenience: hoteliers argue they translate into missed ground transfers, late check-ins and negative online reviews, all of which inflate operating costs. With visitor numbers now surpassing pre-pandemic records, CEHAT warns that persistent first-impression failures could push high-spending travellers toward competing Mediterranean destinations that offer smoother border experiences.
For global-mobility and travel managers the advisory is twofold. First, factor longer dwell times into itineraries for staff travelling to Spain in the coming weeks. Second, monitor AENA and Interior Ministry announcements—improvements promised before summer 2026 could gradually reduce buffer times needed for entry formalities.
CEHAT president Jorge Marichal said international arrivals—especially from the UK, Spain’s single largest tourism market since Brexit—regularly face waits of 45–90 minutes at automated e-gates and police desks. The trade body blames a shortage of Policía Nacional officers, patchy deployment of the new biometric Entry/Exit System and inconsistent contingency planning during peak arrival ‘waves’.
The association has formally urged the government to deploy extra officers ahead of Easter, accelerate full EES installation and publish real-time queue data so airports can adjust staffing dynamically. CEHAT also wants airport operator AENA to open additional manual booths when e-gates fail and to expand dedicated lanes for families and passengers with reduced mobility.
Travellers looking to stay ahead of any rule changes can simplify the paperwork side of their journey by consulting VisaHQ. The platform provides up-to-date guidance on Spain’s visa policies, passport validity rules and the forthcoming biometric Entry/Exit System, with easy online applications and dedicated support for individuals or corporate groups: https://www.visahq.com/spain/.
Long queues are more than an inconvenience: hoteliers argue they translate into missed ground transfers, late check-ins and negative online reviews, all of which inflate operating costs. With visitor numbers now surpassing pre-pandemic records, CEHAT warns that persistent first-impression failures could push high-spending travellers toward competing Mediterranean destinations that offer smoother border experiences.
For global-mobility and travel managers the advisory is twofold. First, factor longer dwell times into itineraries for staff travelling to Spain in the coming weeks. Second, monitor AENA and Interior Ministry announcements—improvements promised before summer 2026 could gradually reduce buffer times needed for entry formalities.
